Frusciante joined the Chili Peppers at the age of 18 after the death of guitarist Hillel Slovak, and first appeared on their album Mother's Milk (1989). His second album with the band, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991), was their breakthrough success. Overwhelmed by the band's newfound popularity, he quit in 1992. He became a recluse and entered a period of heroin addiction, during which he released his first solo recordings: Niandra Lades and Usually Just a T-Shirt (1994) and Smile from the Streets You Hold (1997). In 1998, he completed drug rehabilitation and rejoined the Chili Peppers, taking them to major success with their albums Californication (1999), By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006). He left the Red Hot Chili Peppers again in 2009 to focus on solo work, and rejoined in 2019.
Frusciante's solo work encompasses genres including experimental rock, ambient music and electronica. He released six albums in 2004, each exploring different genres and recording techniques. In 2009, Frusciante released The Empyrean, which features Chili Peppers bassist Flea and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Frusciante also releases acid house under the alias Trickfinger. With Klinghoffer and Joe Lally, he has released two albums as Ataxia.
Frusciante was named one of the greatest guitarists by Rolling Stone and Gibson, and in a BBC poll. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012.
Frusciante's musical style has evolved over the course of his career. Although he received moderate recognition for his early guitar work, it was not until later in his career that music critics and guitarists alike began to fully recognize it: in October 2003, he was ranked eighteenth in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Frusciante attributes this recent recognition to his shift in focus, stating that he chose an approach based on rhythmic patterns inspired by the complexity of material Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen produced. On earlier records, however, much of his output was influenced by various underground punk and new wave musicians.
In general, his sound is also defined by an affinity for vintage guitars. All the guitars that he owns, records, and tours with were made before 1970. Frusciante uses the specific guitar that he finds appropriate for a certain song. All of the guitars he owned before quitting the band were destroyed when his house burned down in 1996. The first guitar he bought after rejoining the Chili Peppers was a 1962 red Fender Jaguar. His most-often used guitar, however, is a 1961 Sunburst Fender Stratocaster that was given to him as a gift from Anthony Kiedis after Frusciante rejoined the Chili Peppers in 1998. He has played this guitar on every album since rejoining the Chili Peppers, and their ensuing tours. He also owns a 1955 Fender Stratocaster, his only Strat with a maple fretboard. Frusciante's most highly appraised instrument is a 1955 Gretsch White Falcon, which he used twice per show for the songs Californication and Otherside. Since 2006, he only uses it for the latter song, saying there was "no room for it", preferring multiple Stratocasters for the Stadium Arcadium tour. Virtually all of Frusciante's acoustic work is played with a 1950s Martin 0–15.
After leaving the Red Hot Chili Peppers, he switched to using a Yamaha SG as his primary guitar for his solo work. "With the Yamaha SG, I could play along with guitar players who were playing, say, Les Pauls, and feel like the sound matched what I was hearing on the record. ... People like Robert Fripp, Mick Ronson, Tony Iommi, and particularly John McGeoch from Siouxsie and the Banshees, who played a Yamaha SG, which is why I bought one in the first place". Frusciante has also noted his increased use of the Roland MC-202 for his electronic music, saying that he was at the point "where I thought as much like a 202ist as I did a guitarist ..." The MC-202 has been his primary melodic instrument in his electronic music.
With the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Frusciante provided backing vocals in a falsetto tenor, a style he started on Blood Sugar Sex Magik. He thoroughly enjoyed his role in the Chili Peppers as backing vocalist, and said that backing vocals are a "real art form". Despite his commitment to the Chili Peppers, he felt that his work with the band should remain separate from his solo projects. When he returned to the Chili Peppers in 1998, Kiedis wanted the band to record "Living in Hell", a song Frusciante had written several years before. Frusciante refused, feeling that the creative freedom he needed for his solo projects would have conflicted with his role in the band.
In Relief
John Frusciante Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Relief in all things
And all things shoot through me
And all things shoot through you
Wherever you are
To seem you're a dream when you never stop
And we ask you what you are
Belief as one with what you believe in
Move in circles
You know time grows old in reverse
Lifa as a thing that began
And was magnified
And made the first fire and the last one
To mean everything you never say
Every single thing going every way
When your leaders gone
He means to make you strong
He never went away
'cause what you need you are
The first verse of John Frusciante's song In Relief expresses the idea that the person he is addressing is not just physically present, but they are a part of him and he is a part of them. The line "Relief in all things" suggests that the person brings a sense of alleviation or release to Frusciante's life. The following line, "And all things shoot through me," may imply that everything - both positive and negative - that happens in Frusciante's life passes through the filter of this person's presence. This person has a major impact on Frusciante's life, to the point where their existence can be described as a dream that never ceases.
The second verse has a more spiritual tone, as Frusciante speaks about "Belief as one with what you believe in." This line suggests that the person is connected to their beliefs on a deep level, and that this belief is incorporated into their very being. "Travel slowly/ move in circles" could be interpreted as advice to take the time to really understand one's beliefs and their place in the world. The final lines of the song suggest that despite the absence of a leader, the person has the strength and power within themselves to carry on. "He means to make you strong/ He never went away/ 'cause what you need you are" implies that the person is capable of both leading and inspiring themselves.
Line by Line Meaning
To seem you're in me and over me
The feeling of being united is like a part of you now.
Relief in all things
Everything around brings comfort and peace.
And all things shoot through me
Sensing a deep connection to everything that surrounds you.
And all things shoot through you
Sensing how everything is connected to one another and each experience shapes you.
Wherever you are
The presence of the connectedness wherever you exist.
To seem you're a dream when you never stop
The feeling of being unreal when you are constantly moving forward and never stopping.
And we ask you what you are
We questioning and curious about what makes you real or unreal.
Belief as one with what you believe in
Having faith in your beliefs make you become one with them.
Travel slowly
Taking time and enjoying the journey of life.
Move in circles
The never-ending cycle of life and how we keep moving forward in it.
You know time grows old in reverse
As time passes, you realize that things become clearer in retrospect.
Lifa as a thing that began
Life started as mere existence.
And was magnified
As life progressed, it was amplified and deepened.
And made the first fire and the last one
The beginning and end are of equal importance in our journey of life.
To mean everything you never say
Sometimes silence and unspoken words say more than being vocal about it.
Every single thing going every way
Life is an unpredictable journey, and anything can happen in any direction.
When your leaders gone
When you lose someone who guided you and protected you.
He means to make you strong
Even in their absence, their teachings will continue to strengthen you.
He never went away
The person may be gone, but their presence and impact remain.
'cause what you need you are
What you truly require comes from within yourself.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN FRUSCIANTE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Miller
To seem you're in me and over me
Relief in all things
And all things shoot to me
And all things shoot to you
Wherever you are
To seem you're a dream when you never stop
And we ask you what you are
Belief as one
Belief as one with what you believe
Travel slowly
Move in circles
You know time grows old in reverse
Life as a thing that began
And was magnified
And made the first fire and the last one
To mean everything you never say
Every single thing going every way
When you're leader's gone
He means to make you strong
He never went away
'Cuz what you need you are
lame lame
I have been listrening to Johns solo music since 2004. I'm 29 now and turning 30 in a month. I have developed some awful anxiety and depressed disorders that can be very manic at times. I put on this album and it usually washes away. That's a really nice feeling. Takes me back to my childhood and innocence. This song in particular helps me a lot.
One Love Bob
You are not alone my soul brother’/sister
MaBoJo1
John does the same for me. Hoping peace for you
John Miller
To seem you're in me and over me
Relief in all things
And all things shoot to me
And all things shoot to you
Wherever you are
To seem you're a dream when you never stop
And we ask you what you are
Belief as one
Belief as one with what you believe
Travel slowly
Move in circles
You know time grows old in reverse
Life as a thing that began
And was magnified
And made the first fire and the last one
To mean everything you never say
Every single thing going every way
When you're leader's gone
He means to make you strong
He never went away
'Cuz what you need you are
Natalie
I place my hand over my heart to this song like it's the national anthem.
D. A. Gaud-Ramirez
I was unconsciously doing the same and noticed when I read your comment
Natalie
Awesome
Joyce Abou-Merhi
Natalie Bodnar I did the same!! 😂😂😍
Natalie
Amazing haha
All Outta Bubblegum
What a beautiful song.